“You need to go home.” I was having coffee with my friend 
Mark Geppert from SEAPC (South East Asia Prayer Center) in a hotel cafe in Delhi. We had just finished a prayer journey through Punjab and Kashmir, two of the most northern states of India. I looked at Mark curiously and waited. “You need to go home,” he said again. “You are not prepared for what God is going to do through you.” Mark has been a missionary for more than 40 years. I had just completed my 5th missions trip with him in less than 3 years. We had literally covered thousands of miles together over Tibet and North India. I roomed with him, prayed with him, prayer walked temples with him. I would sit next to him in the jeep for hours on end. I would watch, listen and ask many questions hoping to learn all I could from this man.
Now he was telling me to go home.
“I don’t understand,” I replied. Mark took another sip of his coffee. “I’ve been watching you,” he said. “I’ve seen the hand of God on you, I see how people receive you, how they embrace you. I see all the open doors God has given you in a very short amount of time. You have developed relationships here where the people truly consider you as family. God has given you a great door of ministry in three states of North India.”
“I am blessed beyond measure,” I replied. “I am very thankful for God’s grace and favor.”
“You have done well, but now you need to go home and build a proper foundation for this ministry. Ask God to give you a team of people that will help you carry this ministry. Get structured and organized. Expand your network so more people can get involved. The needs of the people here are overwhelming. With each new partnership that God brings, you see what they desperately need to fulfill their ministries. “Go home,” he continued, “and create a foundation that God can build on for years to come. God wants to do great things and He has called you to this. Ask Him to surround you with a team of people who are committed to reaching the nations for Christ.”
So here we are. 5 Rivers International is now official. (By the way, the three states of North India were all once called Punjab. Punjab means “5 Rivers” in Hindi). Although we have been a 501(c)(3), we have now established a Board of Directors, are building a web site, and have a great burden to reach the nations, coming alongside ministries already working in various countries. And we are asking…asking for you to consider partnering with us in prayer, finances or even going on one of our trips. The harvest is truly ripe, and Jesus is still saying, “Pray to the Lord of the Harvest to send forth laborers into the harvest.” So we stand before the Lord and say, “Here am I, Lord, send me.”
Many of you cannot go. We would like to be your feet and go in your place. We would like to carry your heart, your burden, your prayers, and partner with ministries all over Asia to bring in the harvest. Your prayers and support are very much appreciated and the rewards will last for eternity.
by Dan Taylor